The significance of resilience in mental health promotion of marriage immigrant women: A qualitative study of factors and processes
Abstract Background: This study explores a series of processes in which marriage immigrant women achieve positive mental health status after experiencing various marriage- and migrant-related difficulties through the framework of resilience theory. As marriage immigrant women face greater barriers to public health services than non-immigrant women, it is necessary to understand the related factors, process, and context to address these barriers and strengthen available assets. Methods: Using data from semi-structured interviews, the author applied theme analysis to identify factors that affect resilience and its development process. Results: Findings indicated that the process of resilience follows enduring difficulties, collapse of stability, access to professional help, satisfaction of desire, and experience of growth. A combination of the level of spousal support, children as a driving force for change, the need for economic activity, and satisfaction of desire were identified as factors affecting the difference in growth in marriage immigrant women’s resilience. Conclusions: Spouses, children, and economic activity play key roles in resilience in positive and negative ways. The existing information barrier should be addressed at a structural level to improve the mental health of marriage immigrant women, and the optimum time for intervention is suggested within two years post-migration. Efforts to build supportive relationships with Korean spouses and meet the needs of women’s desires may also help promote these women’s resilience.